Royal Fennell was born in Fort Irwin, California to an American father and German mother. At the age of four, he returned to his mother's homeland and grew up in the town of Göppingen.

Fennell, a central defender, came through the ranks at Stuttgarter Kickers and first broke through to the first team at the end of the 2009-10 season with two cameo appearances.

The next season, Fennell consolidated his position at the Regionalliga Süd club and became a regular in the starting lineup. Fennell enjoyed further success in the 2011-12 season, when Kickers won the title with several games to spare, thereby earning promotion.

Fennell is expected to be a mainstay in his club's defense when they return to the third level of German soccer for the first time since relegation in 2009.

International Career

Fennell was first called in to US Youth National Teams in late 2011 when U-23 manager Caleb Porter was looking for answers to a shallow pool of U-23 defenders. Fennell participated in several camps and was called to the qualifying roster, but his club, which was in the throes of a promotion race, did not release him.